Pressed steel pillow block



Aug. 10, 1954 c, NELSON, JR 2,686,088

PRESSED STEEL PILL-0W BLOCK Filed Aug; 19, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 10, 1954 C.-NELSON, JR

PRESSED STEEL PILLOW BLOCK Filed Aug. 19, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inn-nu Patented Aug. 10, 1954 UNITED STATES TNT OFF 2,686,088 PRESSED STEEL PILLOW BLOCK Charles Nelson, J r.,

poration of Illinois Chicago, Ill., assignor to Ahlberg Bearing pompany, Chicago, 111., a cor- 2 Claims.

My invention relates generally to pillow blocks, and more particularly to a pillow block of the type fabricated from sheet metal stampings.

While it has been proposed in the past to make pillow blocks for the support of ball and roller bearing assemblies of pressed steel stampings, such proposed constructions have lacked the necessary and desirable strength and rigidity, and their cost of production was relatively high.

It is therefore one of the objects of my invention to provide an improved fabricated sheet metal pillow block including a ballbearing or roller bearing, in which the block is made entirely of sheet metal stampings welded or brazed together to form a strong, rigid structure.

A further object is to provide an improved pillow block construction which consists essentially of three stampings, and preferably an additional pair of reinforcing stampings, secured together in a unitary assembly by a projection Welding operation.

A further object is to provide an improved pillow block construction which, for its weight the material used, is very strong and rigid.

Qther objects will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the ac compenying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional view of the improved pillow block, including a self-aligning ballbearing assembly;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a partially sectional side elevational view thereof, omitting the ballbearing assembly so as more clearly to show the construction of the pillow block; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the pillow block shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. l, the pillow block comprises a pressed steel support In for a ballbearing assembly [2. having an inner race ring 14 and an outer race ring it, the latter having its outer surface conformed to that of a sphere, so as to be capable of self-alignment with a shaft is secured to the inner ring 4 by a plurality of set screws 28 preferably located 120 apart. A plurality of hardened steel balls 22 suitably spaced by a cage 24, are rotatable in facing annular raceway grooves 26 and 2'! formed in the inner ring it and outer ring it, respectively.

A lubricant seal between the inner and outer rings is provided by a pair of stamped sheet metal plates 28 which are expanded into grooves 30 formed in the outer ring I 6 near the ends thereof, and by flanged rings 32 press fitted to the inner ring [4. The flanges 34 of these rings 32 have annular seals 36 bonded thereto, these seals being made of a suitable relatively soft synthetic rubberlike material which is resistant to deterioration by contact with lubricants. These lubricant seals 3d are flexed so as to be in contact with the inner surfaces of the closure plates :Zland are arranged to have decreased contact pressure with these plates when the shaft is is rotating, such decreased contact pressure being due to the eflect of centrifugal forces acting upon the seals 36.

The pillow block is fabricated from five sheet steel stampings, namely, a base is, two similar bearing enclosing stampings d2, 43, and a pair of U -shaped reinforcements 44, 65.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the base stamp-- ing it is nested between the lower portions of the stampings 52 and 43, and has a peripheral horizontal flange 56 providing a surface of substantial area for contact with the support for the pillow lock. The base stamping All includes a central portion .8, the upper surface of which is spherically concave to provide a seat for the complementally shaped outer surface of the outer ring it.

Thestampings 42 and 23 are provided with flanges 50 which extend around the top thereof and downwardly toward the base is and which are secured together by projection welds as indicated at 5| in Fig. 3. The lower portions of the stampings 42 and i3 are also bonded to the side walls of the base "it by projection welds, as indicated at 52 in Fig. 3. The stampings t2 and s3 extend outwardly and cover the end portions of the base stamping 4B, and these parts of these stampings have registering bolt holes 5 formed therein, these holes being preferably elongated so as to permit slight adjustments in the position of the pillow block relative to its support and the holding studs or bolts.

The U-shaped reinforcing members is and :15 are secured within the end portions of the base stamping it by a projection welding or brazing process. These U-Jraped reinforcing members have their legs beneath and closely adjacent the bolt holes 55 and provide desirable strengthening members for absorbing the compressive strains applied by the bolts or studs used to secure the pillow block to its support. The lower edges of the U-shaped reinforcing members it are flush with the lower surfaces of the flange it so as to make contact with any flat support against which the pillow block is bolted, without causing any bending or excessive strain in the end portions of the stainpings All, 42, and it.

The stampings 42 and 43 have the inner sur-.

faces of their end portions surrounding the end portions of the base stamping 40, and due to the fact that they are projection welded thereto, the parts form, in effect, an integral rigid structure which is of great strength relative to the weight of the metal used.

It will be noted from Fig. 3 that the radius of curvature of the extremities of the stampings 42 and 3, at the points 58 (Fig. 3) is less than that of the adjacent parts of the base stamping 40, thereby assuring that the downwardly extending portions 50 of the stampings 42 and 43 will closely engage the adjacent wall 62 of the base stamping t0.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 4, it will be observed that the lower portions of the stampings 42, #3, do not nest exactly over the base stamping 40 at points Ed, and as a result, at these points the block is strengthened against twisting deformation by virtue of the box girder-like shape. The flanges 50 form stiffening and reinforcing parts for the stampings d2, 43, as well as providing convenient means by which these two stampings may be welded together.

The method of manufacture of the pillow block lends itself to rapid quantity production so that the cost of the pillow block is reduced substantially as compared with cast pillow blocks and prior pressed steel constructions.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent that numerous variations and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. I therefore desire, by the following claims, to include within the scope of the invention all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of my invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

1 claim:

1. A pillow block for an anti-friction bearing assembly fabricated from sheet steel stampings comprising a pair of similar side frame stampings each having a central portion conformed to engage the outer surface of the bearing assembly and having juxtaposed arch-shaped flanges projection welded together, said stampings having end portions for securing the pillow block to a support by means of bolts or studs, and a base stamping projection welded to both of said frame stampings and having its end portions arched to nest within the end portions of the side frame stampings and having a peripheral flange, the central portion of the base stamping extending partially between the side frame members to provide a surface for engagement with and support of the antifriction bearing assembly, said end portions of the side frame stampings and of said base stamping having registering bolt-receiving openings.

2. A pillow block for antifriction bearings comprising five sheet metal stampings welded together to form a rigid structure, said stampings including a pair of similar stampings forming an opening and an arch portion for surrounding an externally spherically surfaced antifriction bearing assembly, the arched portions having projecting flanges welded together at the longitudinal center of the plane of the pillow block, a base stamping having a peripheral flange for resting against a support for the pillow block and having a central concave portion for engagement with the spherically convex outer surface of the bearing assembly, said base stamping being nested within the pair of side frame stampings and provided with openings for the reception of securing bolts or studs, the base stamping and the two arch forming stampings having projection welds at spaced areas on surfaces of the parts which lie in vertical planes, and a pair of generally U -shaped reinforcements welded to the lower face of the base stamping, partially surrounding the openings therein and extending downwardly to the plane of the bottom of the base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

